Why do RAW photos look dull?

Some cameras store the camera's white balance setting in the RAW file and some RAW editors can use this; otherwise RAW editors will guess the correct white balance to apply. This can create quite a noticeable difference between the in-camera JPEG and an equivalent RAW viewed in an image editor.
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Why do my RAW photos look different?

RAW development is relatively complicated, and above all it's not clear-cut. Each program uses different processes, and so they all give different results. Likewise every camera has its own color profile and gives slightly different outputs.
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Why are my RAW images so dark?

Also, in Photoshop, camera raw use the GPU acceleration to render the image and that is the reason you're noticing the image shifting to a darker tone which is the actual captured image.
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How do you make a RAW picture look good?

RAW files are always flat and dull-looking before post-processing. RAW photo editing is necessary to balance the light and color to get your photos looking lifelike.
...
RAW photo editing from scratch
  1. Monotone images.
  2. Add a sepia look.
  3. Saturate or Desaturate.
  4. Colorize, Posterize and Solarize.
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Why does JPEG look better than RAW?

The JPEG processing applied by the camera is designed to produce a good-looking image right out of the camera, and this processing cannot be undone. A raw file, on the other hand, is processed by you; so you can decide how the image will look.
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Luminar Coffee Break: Why does my raw image look dull?



Do professional photographers use RAW or JPEG?

As you might expect, the tradeoff for these detailed files is that RAW files are quite a bit larger than JPEG files. Still, most professional photographers shoot in RAW because it gives them more information to work with in the post-processing phase.
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Are RAW photos sharper than JPEG?

Here's the brightness breakdown of a RAW image vs JPEG: a JPEG file records 256 levels of brightness, while a RAW file records a whopping 4,096 to 16,384 levels of brightness. Having a higher brightness level will make the tones in your images appear smoother.
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Do you have to sharpen RAW images?

But it's not exactly “sharp.” That's because the RAW file is raw. It hasn't had any sharpening applied. While it may be particularly evident in this image, this principle applies to every RAW image you shoot. Your images simply aren't sharp enough straight out of the camera; they must have sharpness applied.
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How do I make a RAW image look like a JPEG?

Shoot some test images with both JPG and RAW. Within Lightroom you select the Camera Calibration Profile that makes the RAW look as much like the JPG as possible. Next adjust any slider necessary to make the RAW image match the JPG as closely as possible. Now save this as a User Preset.
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What is the advantage of RAW images?

RAW provides far more image information, allowing you to capture more detail and greater dynamic range from your camera sensor. More flexibility for editing: When you transfer images from your camera's SD card to a hard drive for editing, you will appreciate the image quality you get from RAW data.
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Why does Lightroom change my RAW photos?

This is because every camera maker designs their raw file format differently. So Adobe has programmed Lightroom to not read those settings. If you find that Lightroom consistently displays your raw data in a way that you always make the same c... This is expected behavior.
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Why is Lightroom making my photos dark?

You are underexposing your images. Check your camera metering and settings. 2. You are applying some kind of preset to the image that darkens it.
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Why are my pictures grainy even at low ISO?

If you are using a relatively low ISO number, but still seeing grain in your photos, it's highly probable that you aren't getting your exposure correct in camera. Under-exposing in camera is the BIGGEST reason for having excessive noise in your photos, even at relatively low ISO numbers.
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Why are Demosaiced images darker?

The results are dark because each of the pixels has a value in only one channel. The other two channels are zero. The demoasicing process will spread values from nearby pixels, so those values will no longer be zero.
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Why do my DSLR photos look washed out?

It's quite normal for almost all pictures taken at a substantial distance to look somewhat washed out. The dust/haze/smog/pollution/heat waves/etc., in the air reflect and refract light enough to reduce the contrast and wash out colors.
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What is the fastest way to convert RAW to JPEG?

How to Convert Raw to JPEG on Windows PC for Free?
  1. Install GIMP .
  2. Open raw image, download and install Raw loader plugin from recommended website.
  3. Go to File>Export As.
  4. Go to Select File Type, choose JPEG from the output format menu.
  5. Click Export to save raw image as JPEG on Windows.
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Does Lightroom handle RAW files?

Adobe Lightroom is an image file editor, organizer, and publisher. You can import your RAW files right into Lightroom and a photo editing company, like ShootDotEdit, can edit them from start to finish.
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How do I make an image sharper in Camera Raw?

Sharpen photos

Use the Apply Sharpening To option in the Camera Raw preferences to specify whether sharpening is applied to all images or just to previews. Note: To open preferences from within Camera Raw, click the Open Preferences Dialog button in the toolbar. Zoom the preview image to at least 100%.
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Are raw files sharper?

Raw photos are less sharp coming out of the camera, but can be made sharper than JPGs with editing software afterwards. In addition to being able to adjust sharpness, these are the two big reasons to shoot using raw mode: adjusting color and changing the exposure.
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How much sharpening is too much in Lightroom?

If you increase the radius to a maximum value of 3.0, sharpening will be spread over three pixels around the edge, resulting in thicker, “shadowy” edges. I use the default radius value of 1.0 most of the time and I recommend to keep it under 1.5.
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Why do RAW images look washed out?

RAW files need to undergo post processing, otherwise your photos will come out very flat or will look washed out.
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Does converting RAW to JPEG lose quality?

When converting from raw to jpg you lose options for further image manipulation. This is not quite the same as image quality. You can make a black & white jpg from a raw file, it will have full resolution but there is no way to make the jpg color again.
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Should you shoot a wedding in RAW?

To state it simply, the benefits to using RAW for an occasional wedding photographer outweigh the negatives, but it is truly a personal preference. Many professionals choose JPG, but many times that is for the benefits enjoyed post shoot, and those won't really apply to someone shooting 1 or 2 weddings.
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